Synopsis

In the de Oliveira Evora family, it was a tradition for the women to

keep a journal to record life’s events. On November 14, 2007, no

ordinary day for the family, Lady Madeira passed, knowingly ending

centuries of a federation of ancestors who had developed a dynasty

with an empire and died like it: a testament to contradictions.

In a compelling intergenerational history extracted from journals

and oral stories, Viberto Rodrigues traces the roots of this Portugese

family from Lisbon to Madeira, England, Brazil, and the United

States of America. After detailing their experiences as early settlers

of the island of Madeira, he discloses how the family used slave

labor in their sugar cane plantations in Brazil, funded their global

business with Jewish capital, and assisted refugees fleeing to the

Americas during the second World War. Rodrigues also shares

glimpses into how a family member worked with the World Health

Organization to eradicate malaria in the Amazon, how their close

relationship with military regimes led the family to seek refuge in

the United States in the 1980s, how the last member of the family

searched for her Jewish father, and much more.

Lady Madeira Saudade is the fascinating intergenerational history

of a Portugese family extracted from journals and oral stories.

About the author

Viberto Rodrigues is an academic, diplomat, intelligence analyst,

United Nations peacekeeper, and writer. He lives in Forest Hills,

Queens, New York.